Premonitions
by HakushoRurouni
Summary: Ashitaka has been having strange visions, premonitions if you will, about what is to come. But is it really all real? Will eventually be a LOTR x-over. Will most likely be renamed.
1. Default Chapter

A/N: Okay, this is probably the fic I'll be working on the most since it has been under construction for a good few years. Anyway read, and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Mononoke or any of the other characters that might make an appearance in this story.

Ch.1- Nightmares

It was just another boring day behind the walls of New Iron Town. Well…boring for Ashitaka anyway.

He had helped rebuild the entire town from scratch. Correction, **_he_** had rebuilt the entire town from scratch. It was getting to the point where he could build a house in his sleep! Needless to say, the ability to make houses in his sleep had put quite an impressive number of villagers in homes.

Thankfully, Toki had taken note of this and had come up with a solution.

"Ashitaka," she called as she opened the front door to his small hut-like house, "what're you up to?"

"Well, aside from removing the thousandth splinter from my hand, nothing much!" he said exasperatedly, while swinging his hands around angrily. Then he continued, "Look, see here, this one's not even wood!" As if to prove his point, he plucked the little sliver of whatever it was out of his hand, and threw it to the floor where it made an extremely loud **_Clunk_**!

On further examination of Ashitaka's hands, she noticed that there were indeed several little holes from where the splinters had been, and each was oozing droplets of blood.

"I swear, these things are worse than the damn bullet gunshot wound!" he shouted hysterically while gesturing towards his abdomen.

"Well," started Toki while laughing softly, "I come bearing good news!"

Ashitaka's head rose slightly with interest.

"I talked to Lady Eboshi and she agreed to let you go visit San!"

"Well that's good news considering the fact that I was about to quit working and tell the villagers to build their homes by their own damn selves, but I wasn't aware that I had to have Eboshi's permission to go anywhere." Said Ashitaka glaring slightly.

"No!" said Toki, "What I meant when I said she agreed was that she agreed with me that you could use a little bit of excitement in your life, aside from building all of the villagers houses of course. If you know what I mean!" she finished with a very big wink.

Ashitaka blushed a deep shade of crimson with embarrassment at the thought.

"Shame on you Ashitaka!" shouted Toki in a falsely scandalized voice. "I meant for you to go hunting or whatever it is you do with her while you're there, you naughty boy!"

"I am not a naughty boy," said Ashitaka in a very small voice, "you're the one who said it like that!"

Toki burst out laughing. "Well I just thought I'd tell you. Should we expect you back at all today?"

"Yeah, unless something unexpected happens." Ashitaka replied.

"Yeah, like you get San pregnant." Muttered Toki softly as she left.

"I heard that!" shouted Ashitaka.

Toki just laughed.

As he absent-mindedly opened the pen behind his hut to let Yakkul out, Ashitaka had his mind on one thing and one thing only. San.

She hadn't left his mind ever since the death of the Forest Spirit a year ago, and things didn't look like they were going to change very soon.

Over the year the two had grown closer, and yet they were just as far apart as when they had first met. It was San mostly, but it was a little of himself as well. Ashitaka knew that it would be almost impossible to get to the "couple" stage due to the fact that she was raised in the wild and was foreign to human emotions, or so she thought.

However, Ashitaka wasn't exactly a forward guy. He was shy; that had been why he hadn't made a lot more visits to the forest. He didn't know what to say to her at times, and he felt that, San being as open as she was about her opinions, that was the reason she was still hesitant with him.

He and Yakkul were halfway there, only about fifty kilometers away now, when his attention was drawn to a faint glimmer in the still distant forest. 'What the…what was that?' he thought to himself.

He continued on toward the forest as he pondered on the glimmer.

As he entered the forest, he found the source of the glimmer. It was blood.

'It was just an animal or something.' He thought to himself, however he could not shake the sense of foreboding that had captured him since he caught sight of the substance.

Shaking his head vigorously, Ashitaka urged Yakkul on to keep himself distracted.

After ten minutes or so, Ashitaka came upon the cave at which San and her friends took up residence.

"San! It's me! Where are you?" he shouted into the cave. No answer. An eerie sense of dread overtook him. "San!" Ashitaka called urgently where are you!" After this he ran into the cave and looked around himself. He looked towards the back of the cave and stopped dead in his tracks.

It was Mune and Nuke, San's two older brothers. They were dead.

This wasn't a guess it was a fact. There was a dark pool of crimson liquid that surrounded the two brothers.

"Mune…Nuke…what happened?" he whispered in a soft voice.

Then terror gripped his heart as he realized the possibility that that blood at the edge of the forest was San's hit him full force.

'Please no.'

Ashitaka sped out of the cave as fast as his legs would let him. Past Yakkul, past the staring Kodama, and past all the other life forms that happened to be there at that moment.

He knew where she was. There was no doubt about it. She was at the pool of the Forest Spirit.

After five minutes of all out sprinting, Ashitaka burst through the bushes and trees into the clearing he had been left on only a year ago. And there, sleeping peacefully on her side was San.

"Thank god she's alright!" Ashitaka sighed with relief making his way over toward her and gently rubbing her shoulder in an effort to get her to wake up. "San," he whispered, "Wake up, it's Ashitaka." She didn't move. "Well, I didn't want to have to do this but you leave me no choice!" he said in a playfully somber voice.

He was going to roll her into the lake. Was being the key word. When he rolled her onto her side to face him, he noticed the blood.

Dripping from a sizeable wound on her abdomen the substance was slowing to a halt albeit to late.

"SAN!" Ashitaka shouted in a scared voice. "SAN, NO PLEASE NO!"

That was all that he got out before he fell unconscious on the ground next to her.

Well, there's chapter one! How do ya'll like it? Please R&R! Comments always welcome as well! 'Til next time, laterz!


	2. A Moments Peace

Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Mononoke or any of the other characters that might make an appearance in this story.

Well, thanks to **rabid typewriter** for reviewing Premonitions. But you have to remember that patience is a virtue and that good things come to those who wait. ….In other words, if you stick with the story you'll get the LOTR guys soon! And now I am going to get straight to business and let you read the chapter!

Ch.2- A Moment's Peace

In the darkness Ashitaka heard a harsh whisper.

"Your next Prince of the Emishi!" 

He sat bolt upright in the dim light that shone through the window. Well, he would have sat bolt up right drenched in a cold sweat, had there not been a warm human body clutching tightly to his waist.

He looked down and to his relief, saw San, whole and well, sleeping soundly hands wrapped possessively around him. He smiled, and slowly but carefully removed San's arms from around him.

He strode out of the small cave that San called home, and that had become a second home to him.

In truth, it hadn't been Ashitaka's plan to practically live with San, nor had it been hers. It was, believe it or not, Lady Eboshi who had finally persuaded Ashitaka to go and spend time with her.

"She's a strong, brave, persistent, free-spirited girl who refuses to give up on what she believes in. She's actually the perfect match for you Ashitaka." She finished with a smile. "So," she continued, "when's the wedding?"

Needless to say this had caused the water he had been drinking to hit the wall opposite him, all the while blushing furiously.

That had been over a year ago, and Ashitaka and San had only just recently started to sleep with each other. That had been it. All they did was cuddle and hug and kiss. Nothing serious.

He sat down at the edge of the small cliff on which their cave was located. As he gazed out over the forest he often took residence in, he sighed. The nightmare that he had had only minutes before was new. It had been very vivid, but new. He just didn't get it. Why would anyone want to harm the forest or its protectors anymore? Hadn't the issues between the forest and Iron Town been worked out? It was probably other humans hell bent on getting the abundance of iron ore under the forest.

'Bad habits die hard I suppose.' He thought. Then another thought struck him. 'What if one of the…no it was impossible, the Forest Spirit's blood had taken care of that.

He remembered that occasion too. Lady Eboshi had shot the Forest Spirit's head clean off and in doing so brought forth a terrible sight. The Forest Spirit's blood was deadly. Touching it meant instant death to all living things. Human, animal, and plant life alike had fallen.

Eboshi had just claimed the head for Jigo the monk and was unaware of the decapitated head of Moro, as it snuck up behind her like a silent devil. On its own accord the head leapt off the ground and snapped off the first part of Eboshi the vengeful jaws could find. Her right arm.

Later, as Ashitaka and Ganza, the captain of the guard for Iron Town, pulled Eboshi's crippled but still living body out of the lake, they heard San's voice say loudly, "Give her to me I'll cut her throat!" Ashitaka looked up at her. He could see the look of pure venom and hatred in her eyes and could almost feel it being exerted from her body. Behind her, he saw her wolf brothers, Mune and Nuke, silent with their heads hung low and ears drooping in mourning for their fallen mother.

It had taken five precious minutes for he and San to see eye to eye. They were riding on the backs of San's brothers the only way you can ride a wolf, bareback. They had just warned the remaining men, women, children, and lepers of the threat of the blood and the inevitable destruction of Iron Town as it spread like an evil blanket over the land.

They finally caught up to the greedy little monk Jigo and forced him to give them the head. As they held out the head to the Forest Spirit's groping body Ashitaka shouted, "Oh mighty Forest Spirit we give you back your head! Take it and be at peace!"

Then, the blood had consumed them. Ashitaka had come to because of the gentle nibble on his hair provided by Yakkul. He looked around everything was green and healthy again. And he and San were alive! He had woken her, and they had rushed to a nearby cliff edge to see everything. By giving the Forest Spirit its head back they had reversed the effects of the blood and everything had been restored.

However, to San it wasn't a feeling of familiarity, but an almost new feeling. It wasn't the same forest she had grown up in. For instance, there were hardly any Kodama in the forest the year that he had been visiting San in the forest after the catastrophic events of the Forest Spirit.

As he came back to reality, he remembered another dream he had had prior to this one.

It had been dark and stormy in this one. He could see nothing for miles. All that was visible was the outline of San standing next to him on his right. To his left however, was a man clad all in white.

Apparently, he was a double threat. He wielded a long, sharp, perfectly crafted sword and a white, smooth staff. He had a long white beard that reached down to the middle of his stomach. The old man gestured with his staff out toward the blackness. And as Ashitaka looked, a flash of lightning had illuminated the entirety of the field before him and what he saw made his mouth hang open.

Hundreds upon thousands of men dressed in strange black outfits and standing next to them thousands, if not millions of what looked like, if legends were true, orcs. But there was a vicious and dangerous air about them, as if suggesting that they were smarter and more deadly than the average man.

He had woken up after that, drenched in a cold sweat, breathing hard and pale. Again he pondered the meaning of his dreams.

'It just doesn't make sense.' He thought, 'Why would anyone want to attack Iron Town? They're not exactly in the iron business anymore.'

Suddenly, a pair of arms snaked their way around his waist. "What are you doing out here at this time of night Ashitaka?" San asked curiously.

"Just thinking San, just thinking." He replied in what he hoped was a nonchalant voice.

"Bad dream?" she asked.

"No." he lied wondering how in the world she could read him so easily. "Just wanted some fresh air. He knew that it was bad of him to lie, but he didn't want San to worry just yet.

She looked at him with an 'I-know-you're-lying-to-me-but-I'm-gonna-let-it-go-this-time' look and shrugged.

"Well, if that's all it was, come back to bed, it chilly out." After she said this, she tenderly planted a kiss on his lips sending him into an unaware bliss.

When she pulled away from him and saw the stupid look on his face, she giggled and walked back into the cave.

'Guess I should consider myself lucky. Normally she'd press on and on.' With that thought, Ashitaka followed San, and was unconscious in five minutes.

Waking up to the morning and the beautiful sunrise drove all thoughts of the previous night and dreams away. To see something like that is just breathtaking, especially in the forest. The sunrise was accompanied with a bright reddish tinged pink glow that made it all the more mystical.

Ashitaka yawned, and stretched raising his arms over his head to open up his lungs to get some fresh air. Next to him, San was still sleeping which was unusual for her as she was always the first one up, being the lighter sleeper of the two. Well, until recently that is.

He quietly got up, placing the blanket over San, and walked out of the cave making his way towards the river to catch breakfast.

A/N: Well, there's chapter two! So what'd ya think? Bad? Good? Only way I can know is if you review! Plus it helps me write better!


	3. Strangers?

Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Mononoke or any of the other characters that might make an appearance in this story.

Hello again! I'm HakushoRurouni and I've finally got another chapter for Premonitions! Anywayz, thanks to those of you who have reviewed so far, and here's chapter three!

Ch.3- Strangers?

Later that day after a quick breakfast, Ashitaka and San opted to take a walk through the forest to pass the time. Well, everything was going fine until about forty minutes later when they heard the loud talking of another human being. There had not been another human in the forest (with the exception of Ashitaka and San), ever since the incident with the Forest Spirit. They had, so far, left the forest in peace.

"Humans! In the forest! Ashitaka you said that you had specifically told them to stay out of the forest except for _extreme _emergencies!" San hissed angrily.

"I did San, that was the first thing I told them when I went to talk to Eboshi after the incident. I'm sure she would stick to her word." He argued calmly.

"Well…damn!" San cursed, not able to think of anything to counter with. "I guess they live."

"Thank you." Ashitaka whispered as he kissed her forehead.

"If it weren't for you…"

"If it weren't for me, you would still be at war with Eboshi." He said in a matter of fact voice.

"I wouldn't mind that." She replied. Ashitaka looked at her and then asked,

"Would you?" That made San shut up. "Let's just go and see who it is first." Said Ashitaka pulling her towards the voices.

As they delved deeper and deeper into the forest, Toki noticed that it was getting harder to keep Koroku from taking off back toward Iron Town.

"Toki, sweetness, could we please go back now?" he asked desperately. "Ashitaka told us to stay out of the forest so we don't anger the gods."

"You idiot, Ashitaka did tell us to steer clear of the forest, but you're missing the most crucial part," she shot back angrily, "he also said, and I put emphasis on also, that we could come into the forest if we needed to, to find he and San if it was an emergency. And trust me, this is an emergency." Finished Toki.

Koroku still hated his situation, but he kept his mouth shut.

After ten minutes of silent searching, Koroku couldn't stand it anymore, and said, rather loudly to Toki, "But we probably won't even find any trace of Ashitaka, Toki. We're not exactly experienced trackers you know."

"Lady Eboshi said that if we went in deep enough that we wouldn't have to find them, they'd find us." Retorted Toki.

"And she was right." Said Ashitaka through the clump of bushes he had been hiding behind.

Koroku screamed in fright at his sudden appearance and hid behind Toki.

San emerged next, rolling her eyes with a snarl on her face, obviously displeased at the idea of talking to an idiot.

Finally, seeming to finally realize who was talking, Koroku peered out from behind his wife and said,

"Ashitaka, don't do that to me," he said in a pleading voice, "I can't handle stuff like that like I used to."

Toki's response was not one of surprised shock, but of labored elation. "Well, hello to you too Ashitaka, and I see San is well as well."

San nodded curtly and said sharply, "Why are you in the forest human?"

Toki looked not offended, but tired as though it labored her to speak, however she spoke firmly, "With all due respect San, I'd rather you call us by our names then by 'human'."

San looked slightly taken aback, but then recovered, "Why should I?" she asked dangerously as though daring Toki to speak again.

"Because we don't mean any harm and I think we should try to start over, even though I know that it will take a while to completely trust any human, other than Ashitaka. I want to be the first to offer my friendship to you San, because honestly, I'm sick of everyone living in fear of an impending attack from the forest we know isn't going to happen."

She held out her hand for San to shake it. San stared at it for a minute, then slowly and hesitantly, she gently grasped Toki's hand and they shook.

Ashitaka was smiling through the whole thing. Finally someone was starting to make progress other than him.

Toki now turned to Ashitaka, "Ashitaka, Lady Eboshi has sent us here with an urgent message." She spoke once again, in an exhausted voice.

It was only now that Ashitaka noticed how round she was beginning to get, and finally, he put two and two together as realization struck him.

"Toki, you're pregnant!" he said with concern, "You know that you shouldn't be out here!"

Toki however was not one to be mislead from her goal. She ignored Ashitaka's statement and said, "Ashitaka, San, Lady Eboshi says that both of you must come to Iron Town immediately."

"Why? What's happened?" Ashitaka asked.

"She wouldn't tell me specifics, just that it was extremely urgent." Replied Toki. "We do have a vague idea as to why though. Last night at around midnight, four riders arrived at Iron Town requesting to talk to Lady Eboshi at once." She paused and then continued, "The men on guard duty asked them why they needed to see her and they said that their reasons were strictly confidential."

She looked over towards a still cowering Koroku and shook her head. She pressed on nonetheless.

"Well, naturally we thought they were lying, so we didn't let them in. The ruckus had woken Lady Eboshi by then and she came out to see what was going on. Well as soon as she heard them speak of "confidential" stuff, she told us to let them in."

Toki paused again, at this point so as to allow Ashitaka and San the chance to digest the information. When they nodded at her, she continued,

"Well after we let them in, she led them right to her quarters and started conversing with them. When she was done, she called for me and told me to go and find you two. So naturally I grabbed Koroku here and headed out."

Ashitaka looked at San. "Fine." She said after a minute's staring contest and her curiosity had gotten the better of her, "But only to see what these strangers want."

As they set off following Toki and Koroku, Ashitaka saw Toki begin to stagger as they made their way back through the woods. Worried he whistled for Yakkul. A moment of silence, and then a great Red Elk emerged from the trees.

"Toki, Yakkul is going to carry you back the rest of the way alright?" She tried to argue, but Ashitaka, Koroku, and surprisingly San, were all concerned about her well being.

"Fine, fine. I'll ride him, but this is the last time." She said indignantly climbing onto the elk's back.

An hour later, they could see the newly built city of Iron Town looming over them in the distance. It no longer spouted smoke into the sky, nor did the walls guarding it look threatening, it looked almost peaceful.

"It looks…different." Said San in slight surprise.

"Yes, ever since the Forest Spirit incident, and due to the fact that you and your brothers would kill anyone who entered the forest without your authorization, Lady Eboshi ordered it so that we could make out living another way." Said Toki simply.

"What do you guys do now to make a living?" asked Ashitaka.

"Well, mostly we've been weaving and growing some of our own crops to take to market so, we still have a pretty good income." Was the reply he received.

A/N: Well, there's chapter three for you all. It's not really a good place to leave off but the next chapter will be better. Anyways, thanks for reading and if you would be so kind, please leave a review! Laterz!


End file.
